About Gene Food
Founded in 2018 by tech entrepreneur John O’Connor, Gene Food is a personalized health company that uses polygenic risk scoring to help people understand how their genetics shape their response to nutrition, environment, and everyday life. Our scoring algorithms power twenty proprietary diet types, a growing library of health reports spanning cardiovascular health, DNA methylation, sleep chronotype, and more — and soon, Gene Food Environment, our newest product connecting your genetic profile to live air quality and pollen data for your location, updated daily.
Gene Food offers DNA test kits through our CLIA-certified lab partner in Houston, TX, and accepts raw data uploads from most major consumer genetic testing platforms.
The science of personalized nutrition
Gene Food was founded with a science first approach. For the first two years of the company’s existence, the Gene Food team conducted research on the science of personalized nutrition. Our head of research and lead geneticist, Dr. Aaron Gardner, assembled a team to review hundreds of peer reviewed studies on genetics and nutrition, ranking the genes with the most scientific validation, and assigning each a Science Grade. This research forms the backbone of our custom nutrition plan.
Our nutrition products
Using the research and scoring system created in the exploratory phase of the company, Dr. Gardner’s team built a proprietary nutrition algorithm which classifies customers into one of twenty diet types based on over 250 vetted genetic factors. In addition to our test kits, Gene Food can score existing genetic data from providers like 23andme, Ancestry, or My Heritage.
Who we help
Since launching our product in 2018, we have helped thousands of customers personalize their nutrition. Why do some people experience large increases in LDL when eating saturated fat, while others see little or no increase? These are the questions Gene Food is on a mission to help answer.
The future
Nutrition science is advancing rapidly, but generic dietary advice still dominates — ignoring the most fundamental variable: individual biology. Gene Food was built on the premise that genetics are a foundational input to lasting dietary choices, not the only factor, but the one most people have never had access to in a practical, actionable form.
Gene Food Environment extends that same principle to a dimension of health that has been almost entirely overlooked. Your genome can tell you which environments work with your biology and which ones work against it. We think that is information worth having.
Plans starting from $179
Gene Food offers two tiers of membership, our Basic Plan and a premium, Health Intelligence tier. The Health Intelligence membership is not a subscription, instead members get lifetime access to new reports as they are published, plus advanced reports like our DNA methylation and cardiovascular reports.
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Core Values
Security
Our website is SSL encrypted, our software runs on AWS, and our genetics laboratory in Houston is CLIA certified. We never sell or share your genetic data with third parties.Science
Gene Food operates with a simple, scientific first approach. We are constantly reviewing the latest peer reviewed scientific research to improve our algorithm.Empathy
We understand what it is like to be confused, tired and overwhelmed with mountains of competing nutrition advice. We are here to offer practical, science based solutions for people who don’t know what to eat and don’t know where to turn for help.Inclusion
Committed to diversity and inclusion. Our research process highlights often overlooked studies focusing on underrepresented communities, and this research is factored into our Science Grade scoring system.
Our Team
Dr. Aaron Gardner
Lead Geneticist & Head of Research
Dr. Aaron Gardner holds a BSc in Genetics, a Masters of Research in Medical and Molecular Biosciences as well as a doctorate in immunology. He has worked in a variety of medical research laboratories including those at Durham University and Newcastle University in the UK and Columbia University in New York. His work has concentrated on understanding the genetic modulation of various fibrotic disorders. Through his clinical experience, Aaron became fascinated with the potential for targeted personalized medicine to stem the tide of disease. His work at Gene Food is an extension of that passion. At Gene Food, Aaron created the scoring system used for Custom Nutrition Plans as well as the Guide to Nutrigenomics.
Dr. Gina Leisching
Dr. Gina Leisching holds a BSc in Functional Human Biology, and Honours degree in Physiological Sciences, as well as a doctorate in human physiology from Stellenbosch University, South Africa. At Gene Food, Dr. Gina uses her expertise to provide evidence-based pieces that readers may find helpful and informative.
Danielle Moore, MS
Nutritionist
Danielle Moore holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and a graduate degree in Nutrition. Danielle has seen firsthand the healing power of personalized nutrition in her successful journey to overcome an autoimmune condition. At Gene Food, Danielle weighs in on the nutritional impacts of some of the work we’re doing.
Dr. Sandeep Grover
Geneticist
Working at Gene Food allows me to leverage my skills acquired during my Ph.D., focusing on the prioritization of genetic variants from genes encoding products of biological pathways and understanding how they indirectly influence the metabolism of biomolecules.
John O’Connor
Founder of GeneFood
John O’Connor is the founder of Gene Food, a nutrigenomic startup helping people all over the world personalize nutrition. John is the host of the Gene Food Podcast and a health coach trained at Duke’s Integrative Medicine Program.